Political Science 515
Tolerance &
Multiculturalism
Rob Groves and
Dimitrios Panopalis, with
Don Carmichael
First Term, 2000-2001
Wednesdays, 2-5 pm
Course
Outline
Due to the shortage of senior and graduate courses in
political theory, this course is being added to the first
term offerings - at quite short notice.
In brief - this will be a seminar on topics of tolerance
and multiculturalism, given by Rob Groves, Dimitrios
Panopalis, and me. Rob will do a series of seminars (with
readings) on tolerance, then Dimitrios will do the same
on multiculturalism, and I will wrap it up some closing
sessions. All three of us will attend and participate in
all sessions.
The rough idea is that it will be an informal, working
seminar among the three of us - plus any others who want
to take part. I expect that several other grad students
will sit in on it informally. In fact it was originally
conceived as an informal grad seminar but, given the
shortage of graduate courses we've decided to do it so
that students can get credit for it if they want.
Requirements.
Participants for credit will be asked to contribute
three short papers: two during the term (5-7 pp) and a
slightly longer paper (7-10 pp) towards or at the end of
the term. Of the three papers, there should be at least
one on each of the two main themes; the third can be on
either theme. Participants are invited (but not required)
to present one of these papers as a
"seminar"paper, for class discussion.
Grading:
My strong preference is that grading should be
pass/fail. However it seems that this is not workable
administratively and that a stanine grade must be given.
Other things being equal, I suggest that each of the
essays count equally at 30% with 10% for oral
contributions. However, in view of the nature of the
seminar, I am willing to vary or to tailor the grading to
meet individual needs, and participants are strongly
encouraged to discuss variations with me.
Undergraduate
students are welcome to take the seminar.
Although graduate and undergraduate students will all be
enrolled in the same course number (515), they will be
evaluated differently. Everyone will do the same work;
but grad students will be expected to do the same work
better.
Topics
and Readings
Sept 13 -- First meeting: Course Organization
Much of the recent literature on multiculturalism and
toleration assumes a "liberal" framework
dominated by the work of John Rawls and some (eg
communitarian) criticisms of it. This opening session
will survey this framework. The last part of the session
will consider some particular problems of
multiculturalism and toleration.
Required:
S. Mulhall and A. Swift, Liberals and
Communitarians, introduction (pp 1-33), chs 5-6.
Nussbaum, "Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism",
in For Love of Country (ed Josh Cohen)
Recommended:
"Analytic Political Philosophy" in The
Cambridge Anthology of Contemporary Political
Philosophy
Rawls, "Justice as Fairness" (1957).
Rawls, "Justice as Fairness: Political, Not
Metaphysical" (1985).
Sept 27 - Tolerance 1: The Concept of
Toleration
Required:
John Horton, "Toleration as a Virtue"
Ernesto Garzon Valdes, "Some Remarks on the
Concept of Toleration"
Peter Nicholson, "Toleration as Moral
Ideal"
George P Fletcher, "The Case for Tolerance"
Thomas K Hearn Jr, "On Tolerance"
C. Kording, "Concepts of Toleration"
Robert Paul Churchhill, "On the Difference
between Non-Moral and Moral Concepts of
Tolerance"
Richard Vernon and Samuel LaSelva, "Justifying
Tolerance"
Oct 4 -- The Rise of Identity Claims &
Recognition: Multiculturalism & Justice
What is the source of identity claims and how do these
claims relate to multiculturalism and the politics of
recognition?
Required:
Susan Haack, "Multiculturalism and
Objectivity," Partisan Review, 62 (3)
(1995), pp.397-405.
Charles Taylor, "The Politics of
Recognition" in Amy Gutmann (ed.), Multiculturalism:
Examining the Politics of Recognition,
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994),
pp.25-73.
C. Kukathas, "Liberalism and Multiculturalism:
The Politics of Indifference," Political
Theory, 26 (5) (1998), pp.686-99.
Oct 11 - Rawls and Intolerance
Required:
Rawls, A Theory of Justice: selections
from Part One (chs 1-3), then emphasize sections
32-35.
Recommended:
John Horton, "Three (Apparent) Paradoxes of
Toleration"
DD Raphael, "The Intolerable"
B. Williams, "Tolerating the Intolerable"
Oct. 18 - Intolerance 2: Rawls and the
Intolerant.
Readings: as for Oct 18th.
Oct. 25 -- MC 2: The Egalitarian Grounds of
Difference -- Status and Equality
What is the demand for recognition about? What's the
problem with the egalitarian basis of recognition?
Required:
Kymlicka, Multicultural Citizenship,
(Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1995), Ch.6.
Lawrence Blum, "Recognition, Value and Equality:
A Critique of Charles Taylor's and Nancy Fraser's
Accounts of Multiculturalism," in C. Willet
(ed.) Theorizing Multiculturalism
(Oxford: Blackwell, 1998), pp.73-99.
Recommended:
Maeve Cooke, "Authenticity and Autonomy:
Taylor, Habermas, and the Politics of
Recognition" Political Theory, 25 (2)
(1997), pp.258-88.
Geoffrey B. Levey, "Equality, Autonomy, and
Cultural Rights" Political Theory, 25
(2) (1997), pp.215-248
Nov 1 - Tolerance 3: Kymlicka vs Rawls on the
Scope of Tolerance.
Required:
Kymlicka, Liberalism, Community and Culture, ch
2
Then emphasize Kymlicka, Multicultural
Citizenship, ch 8
Recommended:
Don Lenihan, "Liberalism and the Problem of
Cultural Membership"
Brian Walker, "Plural Cultures, Conflicted
Territories"
Katherine Fierlbeck, "The Ambivalent Potential
of Cultural Identity"
Will Kymlicka, "Two Models of Pluralism and
Tolerance"
Moshe Halbertal, "Response to Kymlicka"
Nov 8 -- Harm & Cultural Rights -- The
Interest in Culture & Moral Agency
How can we ground the demand for recognition? What are
the social conditions for respect and self-respect in a
multicultural
Required:
John Rawls, A Theory of Justice,
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press: 1971),
pp.440- 446
Richard Delgado, "Words that Wound: A Tort
Action for Racial Insults, Epithets and
Name-Calling" Harvard Civil Rights-Civil
Liberties Law Review, v.17 (1982), pp.133-81.
Chandran Kukathas, "Are there any Cultural
Rights?" Political Theory, v.20 no.2,
(1992), pp.105-39.
Kymlicka, "Reply to Kukathas"
Recommended:
L. Pojman, "On Equal Human Worth: A Critique
of Contemporary Egalitarianism," in Louis P.
Pojman and Robert Westmoreland (eds.) Equality:
Selected Readings, (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1997), p.283.
H. Frankfurt, "Equality as a Moral Ideal,"
in Frankfurt, The Importance of What We Care
About, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1988), pp.134-58.
H. Frankfurt, "Equality and Respect," in
Frankfurt, Necessity, Volition, and Love (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1999), pp.146-54.
Nov 15 -- Tolerance 4: Michael Sandel vs
Liberal Tolerance.
Required:
Sandel, "Religious Liberty- Freedom of
Conscience or Freedom of Choice"
Sandel, Democracy's Discontent, chs 1, 4
John Ladd, "The Concept of Community"
Ronald Dworkin, "Liberal Community"
Nov 22 -- MC 4: Cultural Imperative Arguments
-- Ambiguity and Motivation
What is the interest in possessing culture?
Required:
Kymlicka, Multicultural Citizenship,
(Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1995), Ch.5.
Margaret Moore, "Beyond the Cultural Argument
for Liberal Nationalism" Critical Review of
International Social and Political Philosophy, 2
(3) (1999), pp.26-47.
Nov 29 --MC 5: The Liberal Multicultural
Landscape: A New Moral Psychology
Required:
M. Moore, Foundations of Liberalism,
(Oxford: The Clarendon Press: 1993), Ch.7.
Dec 13 -- Synthesis and Implications
The seminar will conclude with two sessions (Dec 6 and
Dec 13). The Dec 13th session is to make up
for the fact that we had to start a week late. These
sessions will review certain themes of the seminar in
more detail and hopefully in ways that bring the two main
topics (multiculturalism and toleration) together. One
seminar (at least) will consider how these topics are to
be judged, with reference to the implications of the
topics for the liberal framework identified in the
opening session. There will also be an opportunity for
students to present their own papers in these sessions.
|